SHOOTS Synonyms: 341 Similar and Opposite Words

shoots 1 of 2

verb

Definition of shoots next

present tense third-person singular of shoot

as in fires

to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force BB guns shoot small round metal pellets

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Relevance

as in blasts

to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force soldiers train extensively to learn to shoot accurately and quickly

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as in pops

to strike with a missile from a gun hunters can shoot deer only during the legally specified open season

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as in rushes

to proceed or move quickly some show-off shot past all the other skiers on the slope

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as in photographs

to take a photograph of shooting the lakeside scene while the light lasted

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as in casts

to throw or give off suddenly the old, broken-down toaster began shooting out sparks

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as in shouts

to voice one's opinions freely with force you've been wanting to say something since this meeting started, so shoot

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as in sprinkles

to mark with small spots especially unevenly hazel eyes that were brown shot with green

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as in sends

to cause to go or be taken from one place to another shot a congratulatory e-mail to his friend as soon as he heard the good news

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shoots

2 of 2

noun

plural of shoot

as in limbs

a branch of a main stem especially of a plant collected the most tender shoots for the vegetable dish he was making

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as in pains

a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body there'd be a shoot of pain from that molar whenever I bit down

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shoots

Verb

The BeerPAN camera instead shoots 65 x 24-mm frames on standard 35-mm film, with a 36-exposure roll yielding about 20 shots. —

New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2026 However, McDaniels might be the one who shoots on it the most, chucking the two women’s basketballs Grant also brought for the room. —

Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026 Bautista stabs and shoots his assailants in an operatic eruption of violence that is done in a single, extended shot. —

Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026 The Ghoul shoots Lucy’s attacker 10 seconds after the scene resumes! —

Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026 Offensively, Toni plays above the rim, can run the floor and shoots the ball well for his size. —

Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 2 Feb. 2026 South Elgin coach Ryan Storm doesn’t mind if Smith shoots it. —

Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026 And then someone shoots him ten times. —

Angela Pelster, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026 The video then shows an agent pepper spraying Pretti and pushing him to the ground before another agent shoots him in the back. —

Julia Manchester, The Hill, 28 Jan. 2026

Noun

In recent years, the reality show underwent a contemporary reexamination in the age of social media, with fans reigniting conversations about controversial elements of the show, such as shoots that darkened models' skin to portray different ethnicities, body-shaming panelists, and more. —

Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026 This is especially true in early spring, when nutrient-rich grass shoots first appear. —

Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 15 Feb. 2026 After a century of foreign shoots in the country, few ever stopped to ask what Moroccan directors might bring to the table. —

Ben Croll, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026 Keep the seeded containers moist and in a warm location until shoots are noted. —

Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2026 There’s a mandate that every fourth movie that shoots in Los Angeles has to include a scene that takes place in either Union Station, the Griffith Observatory (though simply giving it an establishing shot is fine as well), or the food court in the Grand Central Market. —

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026 When a tree is cut down and its root system remains alive, some species are able to send up new shoots from the stump itself or from the roots, in a natural process called coppicing. —

Steven John, Architectural Digest, 13 Feb. 2026 Spring bulbs start to produce roots as soon as they're planted in the soil in fall, and some of their leafy shoots may appear above ground during warm spells in winter. —

Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2026 Woodrow Wilson’s Nicholas Duplan (right) shoots and scores the first goal of the game against Mesquite Poteet’s Kevyn Angeles, February 6, 2026. —

Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoots

Verb

After catching Whitney showboating on CNN, Henry fires Jacob, their accountant on the take.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Levi shoves someone just out of the frame, demands to know who threw stones, and later fires a shot, seemingly away from the crowd.

— Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026